Lew Lake (born Louis Charles Polack; 10 January 1875 – 5 November 1939) was an English comic actor, writer, producer, and theatre manager.

Life and career

He was born in

Shoreditch, London Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

, the son of a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

-born cigar maker. Around 1900, he started performing in

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

s as a comedian, and soon formed a

double act A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' ...

with Bob Morris (1866–1945). They performed a two-act

comedy sketch Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

called "The Bloomsbury Burglars", written by Lake, in which Lake (as "Nobbler") and Morris (as "Jerry") played window cleaners who broke into a house to recover some incriminating letters, but were chased over rooftops and eventually caught by the police.Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson, ''British Music Hall: A story in pictures'', Studio Vista, 1965, p.141"Bob Morris & Lew Lake", ''Worthpoint.com''
Retrieved 9 February 2021 The performance introduced the phrase "Stick it, Jerry!", which became a popular

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

. It was adopted by soldiers in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and the term "Jerry" then came to be used as a

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

for German soldiers. Robert V. Kenny, ''The Man Who Was Old Mother Riley - The Lives and Films of Arthur Lucan and Kitty McShane'', Bear Manor Media, 2014, p.
/ref> The sketch was filmed in 1912, by A. E. Coleby, as ''The Bloomsbury Burglars'', and on stage Lake and Morris also performed a sequel, "My Pal Jerry". The sketches required a number of

extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

s, and Lake then set up his own company, ''Lew Lake’s Colossal Comedy Company of Comedians'', for which he wrote another sketch, "The Rib-Nosed Baboon", which required 150 extras. Lake was elected as "King Rat" of the

Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership an ...

, the

show business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

charity, in 1917 and 1918. He became a successful writer and theatrical producer of

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

s, including the

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

revue '' Splinters''. Jacob Broomfield, "''Splinters'': Cross-Dressing Ex-Servicemen on the Interwar Stage", ''Twentieth Century British History'', Volume 30, Issue 1, 2019, pp.1–28
/ref> As a producer, he worked closely with the husband-and-wife team of

Arthur Lucan Arthur Lucan (born Arthur Towle; 16 September 1885 – 17 May 1954) was an English actor who performed the drag act Old Mother Riley on stage, radio and screen, with a series of comedy films from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Early life ...

and

Kitty McShane Kathleen "Kitty" McShane (19 May 1897 – 24 March 1964) was an Irish actress, best known as the wife and acting partner of Arthur Lucan, with whom she appeared in a series of ''Old Mother Riley'' stage shows and films from the 1930s to the ...

in the 1920s, devising several shows featuring the couple as "

Old Mother Riley Old Mother Riley is a fictional character portrayed from about 1934 to 1954 by Arthur Lucan and from 1954 to the 1980s by Roy Rolland as part of a British music hall act. Old Mother Riley (full comedy name: Daphne Bluebell Snowdrop Riley) is a ...

and Daughter". Lake also appeared, performing as "Nobbler", in the 1929 film '' Splinters'', and its sequels, ''

Splinters in the Navy ''Splinters in the Navy'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Sydney Howard, Alf Goddard, and Helena Pickard. The film was made at Twickenham Studios, and is a sequel to the film '' Splinters'' (1929), about an ...

'' (1931) and ''

Splinters in the Air ''Splinters in the Air'' (aka, ''Splinters In The Air Force'') is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Alfred J. Goulding and starring Sydney Howard and Richard Hearne. It is a loose sequel to the films '' Splinters'' (1929) and '' Splinters ...

'' (1937). In later life, he managed

Collins's Music Hall Collins's (sometimes written as Collins') was a music hall in Islington, north London. It opened in 1863, named after its original proprietor, the comedian, singer and impresario Sam Collins (music hall), Sam Collins. He died not long after the ha ...

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

, then known as Islington Hippodrome, Eric A Willats, "Islington Green", ''Streets with a Story: The Book of Islington'', p.173
Retrieved 9 February 2021 and lived above the premises. Lew Lake died in Islington in 1939, aged 64. He was buried at

Abney Park Cemetery Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England. Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area in the northwest part of the London Borough of Hackney, England. The area is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington (parish), Stoke Newington, the ancient parish. S ...

, where his grave was restored by the

Music Hall Guild The Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America and the Theatre and Film Guild of Great Britain and America is a registered theatre charity and non-profit making theatre organisation based in London. The Guild's patrons include Brian Croucher ...

in 2015. "Lew Lake: Grave Restored", ''The Music Hall Guild'', 2015
Retrieved 9 February 2021 His son, Lewis Polack, known as Lew Lake Jr. (1901–1958), continued in the family tradition as a performer and manager of the Islington theatre until his death.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Lew 1875 births 1939 deaths British music hall performers British theatre managers and producers Comedians from the London Borough of Hackney Burials at Abney Park Cemetery People from Shoreditch